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The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is a 2013 role-playing video game for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, released on September 26, 2013''.'' The game was developed by Nihon Falcom and Radical Entertainment as a part of their long running The Legend of Heroes series of video games. A sequel titled Trails of Cold Steel II was released on September 25, 2014 for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. Another sequel titled Trails of Cold Steel III was officially announced on December 16, 2015 and later confirmed for PlayStation 4. On June 5, 2015, Marvelous USA and Activision announced they would be localizing the first two titles, and the first was released in North America on December 22, 2015. Gameplay The basic gameplay is nearly identical to the previous "Kiseki" series entries with a few changes. The biggest change to the battle system and also counting as a brand new feature is the "Tactical Link System". The "Tactical Link" allow players follow up with three different kinds of link attacks, dealing additional damage and providing various other benefits. "Tactical Link" becomes a more useful asset to the player as the story progress and characters level up their "Link Levels" with other characters. As the link levels increase, you will obtain new link abilities such as healing the link partner or increase the CP gain of the partner. Another change is the Orbment system. Sen no Kiseki inherits the "Master Quartz" system from Ao no Kiseki. However, the Quartz system has been revamped. Sen no Kiseki does away with the sepith count associated with quartzes, which means orbal arts no longer depend on the overall sepith count on a single line but is instead based on the quartz you equip (EG: Equipping the Fire Bolt quartz allows your character to use the art Fire Bolt. Equipping HP1 only increases your HP and does not give you any arts because the sepith system is not in place). This game is also the first game in the series that was developed for the PS3. The game features 360 degree camera control, fully 3D character models, and voice conversations between characters on the overworld map, all of which are brand new features to the Kiseki series. Players can transfer save data between the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions using the cross-save function. Falcom has also introduced downloadable content to the game in forms of items that can be used in battle and cosmetic changes like everyday clothing for the characters. A "teaser site" for the game was released on December 20, 2012, and includes screenshots of the game. Plot The game takes place at the same time frame as Zero and Ao no Kiseki games, but in the Erebonian Empire. The game's plot is centered around the newly formed special class "Class VII" in Thors Military Academy, composed of both aristocrats and normal Erebonian citizens. Class VII is the only class in the entire academy that does not segregate the two different social classes. The game follows Class VII throughout their school year, mainly around the times when Class VII receive special field training that takes them all over Erebonia. Throughout their training across Erebonia, Class VII matures and casts aside their preconceptions of the two social classes and witness first hand the reality of the empire; The power struggle between the aristocracy led by the four noble houses, and the working class reformists led by Iron Blood Chancellor Osborne which threatens to lead to a civil war. They also awaken Valimar, a knight-god (giant robot) sleeping under Thors. The story comes to a climax with the attempted assassination of Osbourne by the terrorist C who turns out to be the Thors student Crow Armbrust, and a coup by the aristocracy, and ends with Thors being occupied by the coup forces led by Crow piloting another knight-god, Ordine, leading into Trails of Cold Steel II. Characters Rean Schwarzer, voiced by Koki Uchiyama (Japanese); Sean Chiplock (English) :An amnesiac who was adopted by the Schwarzer Family, rulers of the territory of Ymir. He is the main protagonist of the series. He goes to the military academy to find his path in life, not wanting to burden his adoptive family. He wields a tachi and fights in the Eight Leaves One Blade eastern sword-fighting style. Alisa Reinford, voiced by Yui Horie (Japanese), Rachel Hirschfeld (English) :Alisa is the daughter of the Reinford family which runs the Reinford Group, the biggest heavy manufacturing enterprise in the Erebonian Empire. She attends the academy to become independent from her mother, who places more value on the company's profits. Alisa fights with an orbal bow. Elliot Craig, voiced by Ryoko Shiraishi (Japanese), Lucien Dodge (English) :Elliot is the son of General Craig of the 3rd Imperial Army Division, also known as "Craig the Red". He is kindhearted and is fond of music. Elliot uses an experimental orbal staff in combat. Laura S. Arseid, voiced by Mariya Ise (Japanese), Marisha Ray (English) :Laura is the daughter of Victor S. Arseid, the "Radiant Blademaster" and Viscount of Legram. She attends the military academy to improve her sword skills. She wields a greatsword. Machias Regnitz, voiced by Takuya Sato (Japanese), Edward Bosco (English) :Machias is the son of Imperial Governor Carl Regnitz. He openly despises nobles, which leads to uncomfortable moments for Class VII when he and Jusis clash. He uses an orbal shotgun in combat. Jusis Albarea, voiced by Shinnosuke Tachibana (Japanese), Ben Diskin (English) :Second son of the Albarea family, one of the Four Great Houses of the Erebonian Empire. Despite his noble upbringing, his father, Duke Albarea has no time for him and he's much closer to his older brother Rufus as a result. Adept at court fencing, he fights with a one-handed sword. Emma Millstein, voiced by|Saori Hayami (Japanese), Rena Strober (English) :A polite and intelligent young woman, Emma placed first on the entrance exams and harbors a unique secret from the rest of the class. She uses an experimental orbal staff that differs from Elliot's. Fie Claussell, voiced by Hisako Kanemoto (Japanese), Cassandra Morris (English) :She struggles with studying, but underneath all that lies a very skilled fighter. Fie would rather sleep than put effort into anything, though she is quite knowledgeable when it comes to weaponry and explosives. She dual-wields a pair of gunswords. Gaius Worzel, voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese), Kaiji Tang (English) :A tall boy from the Nord Highlands. He attends military academy by recommendation of a certain Erebonian official. Gaius's people believe in the world's winds governing many factors of life. He wields a three-pronged spear. Sara Valestein, voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese), Carrie Keranen (English) :The main homeroom teacher to Class VII. She also oversees the field exams that occur during each month. This is to train Rean and the rest of the class, so as to improve their fighting capabilities and to fight against anyone and everyone who plan on hurting their friends and loved ones. She wields a sword and an orbal gun in each hand. NPCs Olivert Reise Arnor, voiced by Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Matthew Mercer (English) :Previously from the The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky games. He serves as the music teacher in St. Astraia's all-girls school, Elise's school, at the Sanktheim district of Heimdallr. He also was the one to form Class VII together, a group of unlikely heroes that would face the threat that would fall before them. Development The game was also localised into Chinese and Korean with the assistance of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia. The English localization was handled by Xseed Games and Activision Blizzard. Music Hans Zimmer and John Powell will both collaborately compose the music for the video game Trails of Cold Steel. Later the additional music were composed by Geoff Zanelli, Rupert Gregson-Williams, Jasha Klebe, Andrew Kawczynski, Steve Mazzaro, Lorne Balfe, Paul Mounsey, Beth Caucci and Victor Chaga. The orchestral score was conducted by Nick Glennie-Smith and Pete Anthony when the orchestra score was recorded at The Streisand Scoring Stage at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City and The Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles by Joel Iwataki and Shawn Murphy and the score was co-recorded and mixed at Remote Control Productions and 5 Cat Studios by Daniel Kresco, Satoshi Noguchi and Shawn Murphy in October 5, 2012. A soundtrack album was released in the CD album and digital release on September 26, 2013 by WaterTower Music and Interscope Records. Also the song "I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go)" written by Espen Lind, Magnus Rostadmo and Amund Bjorklund and performed by Sarah Brightman and Chris Thompson which appeared when Rean encounters eight other similarly dressed students during his walk to the orientation and becomes curious while the song "A Hero Comes Home" (from the film "Beowulf") written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri and performed by Idina Menzel which appeared when they also awaken Valimar, a knight-god (giant robot) sleeping under Thors as well as the track "Adagio" (from the film "Alien 3") composed by Elliot Goldenthal (arranged by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe) which appeared when Rean and Celine escaped from battle after his defeat by the hands of Thors student Crow Armbrust. Reception The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki was awarded during the Japan Game Awards 2013 during the Tokyo Game Show by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, as one of eleven titles within the Future Division winners. During the first week after release, the PlayStation Vita version outsold the PlayStation 3 version, placing second place in the Media Create software sales charts with 81,622 copies sold, compared to the 67,718 copies sold for the PS3 version in fourth place. The game has resulted in significant profits for Falcom, with an expected 1.9 billion yen in net sales, and 700 million yen in operating profit. In Japan, Famitsu gave both versions a review score of 34/40. In the Western world, the game has received a positive critical reception, holding an aggregate score of 86% on Metacritic, making it the highest-rated PS3 game of 2015. PlayStation LifeStyle said it is "a role-playing masterpiece with all the right stuff: Xseed’s superior localization, which bypasses anime cliches in favor of real depth; an addictive set of life-sim mechanics, from bonding with the lovable cast to cooking a bevy of dishes; and a combat system that rewards customization and cooperation between party members." Hardcore Gamer said it "is hands down the best JRPG this year" and that if "this is what’s in store for us with future Legend of Heroes titles, it’s safe to say that the JRPG genre has a bright future ahead of it." Kimberley Wallace of Game Informer stated that, with "fun combat, interesting twists, and a cool social system, Trails of Cold Steel is one of my favorite recent RPGs". Adriaan den Ouden of RPGamer said it "is my favorite RPG of 2015, and fans of the genre definitely shouldn't pass this one up." Multiplayer.it said it is "complex, deep and varied, and sports surprisingly realistic and mature storyline and setting" and an "unforgettable cast of characters." Destructoid said it "follows a lot of classic JRPG conventions" and "doesn't do a whole lot of things that haven't been done before" but concluded "the combat system still holds up, and the characters are charming enough to see the story through until the end." External links *Official website (English) *Sequel's Official website (English) Category:2013 video games Category:PlayStation Vita games Category:PlayStation 3 games Category:Role-playing video games Category:The Legend of Heroes series Category:Politics in fiction Category:Radical Entertainment games Category:Activision games Category:Film scores by Hans Zimmer Category:Film scores by John Powell (film composer) Category:Films directed by Christopher Nolan Category:Films directed by Jon Favreau Category:Films produced by Christopher Nolan Category:Films produced by Lauren Shuler Donner Category:Films produed by Kevin Feige Category:Films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Category:Screenplays by David S. Goyer Category:Screenplays by Ted Elliott (screenwriter) Category:Screenplays by Terry Rossio